PROYECCION DURANTE EL SUERO DE LA ANESTESIA

The purpose of this Chapter is to provide an overview of engineering specialisation and some of the important issues involved. In engineering specialisation in a specific area of engineering practice is common and this is widely understood in the community. However, how engineers become specialists in their chosen field is not well understood.

Specialisation begins with the choice of university or TAFE education pathway or stream. Degree or advanced diploma programs are differentiated according to the main field of engineering addressed by courses. Thus, for example, there are programs in mechanical, civil or electrical engineering, sometimes even finer delineation such as distinguishing between civil and construction engineering are offered. The characteristic of formal programs are they are systematic, planned, organised and have formal

evaluation mechanisms for achievement in the setting of educational institutions.

All education statistics included in the Statistical Overview are classified according to the ABS Australian Standard Classification of Education (ASCED). ASCED was developed as a framework for collecting statistics relating to formal educational activities like the ones discussed above. The system is structured according to the field of education pursued and the level of educational activity undertaken. To the extent that universities and TAFE colleges stream engineering courses into different pathways, ASCED

provides a consistent basis for measuring attendance and completion of courses in these different streams.ASCED is a hierarchical structure which provides greater or less detail depending on the level

of aggregation. Broad level statistics (four digit level of aggregation) are reported in section 10.2 and more detailed statistics (six digit level) are reported in section 10.3.

Specialisation, as it is understood in engineering, utilises the completion of formal engineering courses as the foundation for an on-the-job process of competency acquisition. Completion of accredited engineering courses enables graduates to demonstrate Stage 1 competencies. Specialisation in a specific area of engineering practice occurs through demonstrating achievement of stage 2

competencies.

Demonstrating professional competence is common to the professions, but engineering differs in the methodology used. Other professions typically undertake a formal period of training after the completion of under-graduate qualifications. Engineering is unique in that the process of professional formation is achieved through an on-the-job process. Structured training is not formally part of this process unless it is offered by individual employers as part of corporate staff developmen strategies. A key reason for this approach is the sheer diversity of the engineering profession; besides eight main disciplines,

represented by Engineers Australia’s Colleges, there are numerous specialisations in each discipline, represented by over 35 Technical Societies affiliated with Engineers Australia. This diversity means an on-the-job process is more practical.

The period of professional formation conclude when individual engineers demonstrate achievement of sixteen Stage 2 competencies. These competencies are consistent with international benchmarks for engineers and recognise that engineers have achieved the capacity to practice engineering

independently in their preferred field and their capacity to make independent engineering decisions. Thus completion of professional formation signals completion of the development of engineering specialisation.Engineering specialisation is a life-time process of learning and practical experience. Following completion of Stage 2 competencies, engineers are expected to maintain the currency of knowledge in their field through continuous professional development.

The statistics reported in following sections relate to specialisation in the formal education stage and do not reflect specialisation achieved through the process of professional formation. At best, they provide an indication of the directions that engineering specialisations are headed. It is likely that a graduate Civil Engineer will specialise in one of the associated areas of practice like construction, structures,

geotechnical or ocean engineering. It is unlikely that a graduate Civil Engineer will specialise in an area of practice associated with the completion of a degree in Mechanical Engineering.

Table 10.1: The Engineering Labour Force, Broad Streams of Engineering Education, 2006 and 2011 2006

Labour Market Measure

Engineering Stream Men Women Total Men Women Total Men Women Total Men Women Total

Engineering & Related Technologies nfd 82823 9038 91861 2.4 4.4 2.6 54958 4891 59849 66.4 54.1 65.2

Manufacturing Engineering 2464 1434 3898 4.0 6.1 4.8 952 162 1114 38.6 11.3 28.6

Process & Resource Engineering 12089 3226 15315 2.5 4.4 2.9 7361 1266 8627 60.9 39.2 56.3

Automotive Engineering 250 3 253 2.4 0.0 2.4 55 0 55 22.0 0.0 21.7

Mechanical & Industrial Engineering 14236 1066 15302 3.0 6.3 3.2 7802 443 8245 54.8 41.6 53.9

Civil Engineering 17272 1909 19181 2.2 5.1 2.5 12859 1144 14003 74.4 59.9 73.0

Electrical & Electronic Engineering 35247 3082 38329 3.7 7.8 4.0 19592 1358 20950 55.6 44.1 54.7

Aerospace Engineering 9071 652 9723 2.7 3.2 2.7 5600 326 5926 61.7 50.0 60.9

Maritime Engineering 3791 164 3955 3.6 7.3 3.7 1964 39 2003 51.8 23.8 50.6

Other Engineering & Related Technologies 2204 598 2802 3.6 4.0 3.7 1142 341 1483 51.8 57.0 52.9

All Engineering 179447 21172 200619 2.8 5.1 3.0 112285 9970 122255 62.6 47.1 60.9

2011

Engineering & Related Technologies nfd 104686 13235 117921 2.9 4.9 3.1 70429 7574 78003 67.3 57.2 66.1

Manufacturing Engineering 3548 1707 5255 4.2 6.6 5.0 1530 243 1773 43.1 14.2 33.7

Process & Resource Engineering 15043 4215 19258 2.9 5.6 3.5 9393 1890 11283 62.4 44.8 58.6

Automotive Engineering 602 10 612 4.5 0.0 4.4 86 6 92 14.3 60.0 15.0

Mechanical & Industrial Engineering 20503 1666 22169 3.8 7.9 4.1 11670 737 12407 56.9 44.2 56.0

Civil Engineering 24058 3174 27232 3.2 6.3 3.6 18326 2036 20362 76.2 64.1 74.8

Electrical & Electronic Engineering 46014 4854 50868 3.6 9.3 4.2 25865 2325 28190 56.2 47.9 55.4

Aerospace Engineering 10889 935 11824 3.2 3.0 3.2 6686 459 7145 61.4 49.1 60.4

Maritime Engineering 4247 208 4455 3.9 2.9 3.8 2276 67 2343 53.6 32.2 52.6

Other Engineering & Related Technologies 3212 1083 4295 3.7 7.2 4.6 1739 575 2314 54.1 53.1 53.9

All Engineering 232802 31087 263889 3.2 6.1 3.6 148000 15912 163912 63.6 51.2 62.1

Source: ABS, Population Census, 2006 and 2011, Estimated Using TableBuilder Pro

Employed in Engineering Unemployment Rate (%)

Official statistics on the number of engineers in specialisations as understood by Engineers Australia are not available. Although Engineers Australia as an organisation is aware of the specialisations of its members, membership is voluntary and there is little point in publishing incomplete statistics. This gap in information is a serious deficiency because shortages of engineers are often shortages of specific specialist engineering skills. When these situations occur, the shotages in question cannot be met through substitution with other engineers or other technical fields and can mean the difference between competent project delivery or not and between technical innovation and productive advance and

recreating the past.